Friday, July 23, 2010

Miami And The Three Amigos

No, this is not a posting about a sequel to a 1986 movie starring Steve Martin, this is all about the Miami Heat. Where to begin? Most would focus on Lebron, Wade, and Bosh coming together but first I would like to look at the real genius behind it all, Pat Riley. Besides coaching 'The Lake Show' to 4 titles in the 80's and the Heat to their first ever title in 2006 (Oh and the frequent mob boss jokes), Riley is proving to be even more of a mastermind at the administrative level. Riley orchestrated the move that brought Shaq to the Heat in 2004 in return for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round draft pick. It seemed a bit much for an aging superstar at the time, but it eventually led to the Heat becoming champions of the basketball world in 2006. Meanwhile the Lakers struggled mightily until they acquired Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in early 2008. For a while it seemed as if the Heat had moved back into basketball mediocrity, Shaq was traded to the Suns around the same time as the Gasol deal, and Wade continued to battle injuries. Then came the summer of 2010 where Riley once again worked his amazing GM skills. The Heat looked to resign D-Wade and get some much needed support around him. Riley more than accomplished that by not only bringing in Chris Bosh but acquiring the unmatched talents of Lebron James. The outlook for the Heat is bright this season, NBA.com already has them as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. To tell you the truth, thinking of the possible number of championships the Heat could win in the next 5 to 10 years is making my mouth water.